Toronto cleans up after storm as Trudeau says better infrastructure needed for future

TORONTO -- Cleanup crews worked to get Canada’s largest city back to normal on Wednesday, a day after a torrential downpour flooded Toronto’s major roadways and left thousands without power.

Around Toronto, flooding temporarily closed several major roads and left drivers stranded. Authorities said they rescued at least 14 people from flooding on the Don Valley Parkway.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called Tuesday’s flooding “a significant event,” and said the city and surrounding area need to be prepared for similar disruptions in the future with better infrastructure.

“With climate change there are going to be more extreme weather events,” he said at a news conference in Toronto on Wednesday.

Tuesday’s deluge also caused commuter havoc, with massive flooding shutting down several major routes as well as Toronto’s Union Station, Don Valley Parkway, and Lake Shore Boulevard. All have since reopened after the floodwaters dispersed.

There were no reported injuries, but the scale of the disruption was evident in a series of images showing washed out roads with cars nearly submerged in water.

In Mississauga, flooding forced the evacuation of about 113 residents from the Tyndall nursing home, the fire service said.

The Toronto and Region Conservation Authority said water levels in the Don River are falling as the cleanup continues, but caution is still required around all bodies of water.

The authority said in a statement that some rivers within the greater Toronto area are still experiencing higher flows of water due to Tuesday’s heavy rainfall, causing hazardous conditions including slippery and unstable river banks. At the height of the storm, more than 100 millimeters (4 inches) of rain fell in certain areas, it said.

The influential Canadian rapper Drake was among the many Toronto residents impacted by the extreme weather, taking to Instagram to share a video of ankle-deep brown water flooding a room in his mansion.